Implement for uprooting plants



June 5, 1928. 1,672,095

6. w. scHAcHT IMPLEMENT FOR UPROOTING PLANTS 1 tion to cover the invention bypatent for all I I he described in the following specification.

Patented June 5, 1928.

UNI D T-E5 TEN E- CHARLES w. SCHACHT,-OF CHICAGO, ILLIN'oIs, AssIeNoeTo conpnan nanumc'run- ING'COMPANY,,0 F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIONQF ILLINOIS.

IMPLEMENT ron raooTInG rLANrs.

Application filed May 6,

My invention relates to an implement for uprooting'plants andthe principal object of Weeds from lawns, although itvisf the intenuses, of similar character, to which the device may be found suitable.

The invention i's'illustrated ina certain" I preferredembodiment in the accompanying I As this structure will be found 1 susceptible of modifications within the" scope drawlng.

'ot'the invention, it is my purpose to'cover by patent all modified forms within the'purpose I gether a socket for the end of the stock 11, a

Step or foot-piece 16 and a cylindrical guide andintent'of the appended claims, as well as the specific andpreferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing and to In the drawing: v Fig. 1 is a view in elevation ofthe-preferred embodiment of myinvention.

Fig-.2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the implement[shown-in Fig. 1.

Figs- 3,

' Fig. -1.

'- blades, which are spaced" apart, concavo-conj vex, "W113l1 the concave sides facing each other, and tapered and converged towards Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmentary viewsillustrating the manner in which the' device is used as a w'eeder.

Referring to the drawing, the operative parts of the implement are-shown as mount ed on a stock 11, which may be of wood or "metal and, is provided, preferably, with a hand piece 12. The weeding isaccomplishedby a pair of" long relatively thin, flexible their ends, so. that when the implement is thrust into the ground, around the tap root -'of a dandelion, for example, the pressure of pressing the core of earth around the root so that, 1n eifect, a conical earth core is cut and collectedby the implement. .When the implement is pulled out ofthe ground, this earth core,-itogether with the plant embedded therein, will, due to the tapered or conical configuration of the digging part of the implement, be pulled out-ofthe earth 4 and 5 are cross sectional views on lines 33, H and 5-5, respectivelyof 192s. senai'no. 107,061.

with the implement.'. Preferably as stated a spreader isprovided between theblades which, when pressed down, spreads the bla'des apart" so that "the plant and its earth core may be dropped .or discharged. -The plant, dandelion, for example, may be removed from the earth core, andthe earth core put back into the hole from which it I was taken;

' The bladesmay be secured to the stockin omy of manufacture, the blades "are formed as followsz'Two pieces of sheet steel 13, 1.4,

any preferred manner. For reasonspf econ alike except that one is alright and the other a left,.are pressed'so that they formto scribed; 'themeta'l pieces 13 and 14: being ff riveted or spot-welded'together as indicated at 18, 19, being secured to the, stock by a"? rivet 20. "Below the. socket 15 the sheet steel pieoes'13, Mare pressedinwardlytoform a contracted neck"21, 'aga inst which the lower end of the stock bears. V The metal parts-are bulged below the neck 21 as indicated at 22 and foriiied'with fianges16", 16?,securd to: I

gether, for example, by spot-welding. Below this portion of the implement the sheet steel pi'eces"13 ,"14 are in the formlof long concavo-oonvex blades 23, 24, which are tapered, so that they converge toward their lower'ends, the ends being rounded as'indicated at'25,Fig'. 1.

A rod. 01' W1 e 26 "extends through the 'guide 17 and is bentiso as toproject into one of the slots27 between theblades with its inner end circular in form as? indicated at 28 to provide a spreader tort the blades? That is, the spreader 28 is oflsuch diameter that when it'is forc ed downwardlybetween the-' blades it spreads them to a" certain extent. The upper end of the rod 26 is anchored between the projecting ends 29"of a band'30 slidably arranged on the stock. Thejprojecting ends 29 of the band are preferably formed on their upper edges withfianges31 which provide togethera footpieee or step. Operation: The implement is thrust into the ground with the blades. one on each side "of-the plant to be uprooted. ,Thespreader may be in'the upper position as indicated in Figs. 1" and'2 but'is preferably in the position indicated in Fig. 6, in which it acts to spread the blades apart. In Figs. 6

and 7, the dandelion root is designated by numeral 32. Assuming that the device is operated as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7, the. forcing of the implement into the ground pushes up the spreader so as to release the blades 23, 24 which move toward each other because of their elasticity and are furthermore forced one towardthe other because of the pressure of theuearth against their tapered outer surfaces. This action is illustrated in Fig. 7. The implement is then pulled out of the ground, carrying with it the root of the plant and a taperedor conical core of earth surrounding the root. As the .blades come out of the ground they tend to spring apart to a certain extent, but not enough torelease the plant root and earth core. After the implement has been com- .pletely withdrawn from the ground, the

user places his foot on the footpiece 31 so as to force the spreader 281Which acts also as an ejector, towardthe outer ends of the. blades. The-plant andearth core. are thus ejected. The core will ordinarily be quite.

firm and compact, so that, if desired, the plant may be removed therefrom and the earth-core with any grass plant that it may I contain, put back, into the hole left the be removed. 1

. i implement. The spreader will now be at the outer end of the blades and the implement consequently in readiness for another weeding operation. It will be seen that the spreader and ejector is operated in one direction by the footpiece 31 and in the other the blades to force the outer ends of said blades apart under tension, which is adapted to bear against the ground allowing the blades to come together when the blades are thrust into'the ground.

2. An implement comprising a stock and a pair of spaced concavo-convex metal blades tapering and normally convergent toward their ends, whereby when the implement is thrust into the ground the ends of theblades are forced toward each other to compress the root and core of earth around the same, a spreader slidably arranged between the -blades to spread them from their normal convergent positions and an operating rod for the spreader guided on said stock, and

a footpiece on the operating rod and a footpiece on the stock. I

3. An implement comprising a stock, two

pieces of sheet metal formed at their upper ends to provide a socket for the end of the stock, an outwardly projecting footpiece .on one side of thesocket and a cylindrical guide on the other end of the socket, the lower end of said sheet metal pieces being formed to provide a pair ofconcavo-convex tapered spaced blades, a rod; extending. through said guide, the lower end of which projects into the space between the blades and is bent into the form of a circular spacer, a slide ring on the stock to which said rod 1S attached and a i100l13166 on sa d ring.

I so An implement for uprooting plants comprising spring blades converging in the direction of their outer ends, and a plant ejecting and spreading, device lengthwise of the blades for flexing the mov bl blades to spread their outer; ends apart. which device is adapted to remain between the outer ends of, the blades, keeping theinspread apart under tension, andv to. bear upon the ground allowing the blades toycoine together as they are thrust into the ground 5. An implement for uprooting' plants comprising, a smgle pair of spacedyspring blades havmg co'cavo-convex configuration in cross section and COIIVQIglIlg 1n the direction of their outer ends, and a plant eject ing and spreading devicev movable length- -wise of the blades for flexing the blades to spread. their outer ends apart which device is adapted to remain betweenlthe outer ends of the blades, keeping them, spread apart under tension, and to bearupon'the grou id allowing the blades to come together asthey are thrust into'the ground,

6. An implement comprisingja stoclr and a pair of spaced concavo-convex spring metal blades tapering and normally conven gent Y toward their ends, whereby when theimplemeut is thrust into" the ground the ends of the blades are forced toward each other tocompress the root and core of earth; around the same, a spreader slidably' arranged between and entirely within the space between the blades to spi'eadfthe outer ends of the blades apartunder' tension,

which device is adapted to bear nponlthc ground and allow the blades tO CQII'IQ together when they are thrust into the ground,

and an operating rod for the spreaderguided on the outside of said stock having-a connection withthe spreader extending'through one of the spaces between theblades'fi I CHARLES w. sermon r.i 

